Gramophone Magazine[Varady is] in radiant voice here, convincingly youthful and appealing at her first encounter with Herman, throwing caution to the wind as she goes to her death in the Neva. Vladimir Atlantov's Herman is a known quantity but it is good to hear again how fearless he could be onstage...there is a grandiloquence about his portrayal here that can be thrilling.

International Record ReviewVarady retains her appeal, thanks to splendidly clear textual projection, prbing musicality and a delectably youthful timbre...The truly aching expressiveness of this singing is just right for Lisa, and significantly more affecting than anyone I've heard on disc in this role...[Obraztsova holds] the listener's attention through sheer incisiveness of projection...the performance is immensely disciplined and never frantic.